Oscar-worthy visual effects in six steps

Carsten Keller, head of 3D at MPC Advertising, and Ben Jones, character supervisor at MPC Film, reveal the six key steps involved in crafting creatures so photo-real and engaging, they’re awarded the industry's highest accolades

In an exclusive video feature and interview ahead of Oscars night in February 2017, The Telegraph writes: ‘You’ve already seen plenty of MPC’s masterwork, even if you didn’t necessarily realise. In just the past 12 months, you might have marvelled at the trampolining animals in John Lewis’ ‘Buster the Boxer’ or lost yourself in the world of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. All of that – and lots, lots more – was brought to life by the painstaking work of MPC’s teams of creatives.’

'Over the last 20 years, MPC has become the go-to name for visual effects in movies and advertising, placing themselves at the vanguard of an industry ever-advancing with new technologies'. "The speed of change in what we can do is amazing”, says Carsten.

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At the forefront of creature creation

'It's the studio’s work with animals that’s brought them most attention over recent years’, the feature continues. Every creature MPC creates is built from drawings to digital sculpting, and from the skeleton up.'

Ben explains that it’s harder to create a photo-real animal or landscape than a totally fictional one, such as in Fantastic Beasts or Guardians of the Galaxy, for the simple fact that audiences know what things should look like. “If you get it wrong with a real thing, people know. Dragons or a fantastical creature give you some leeway, but something that exists has another level of challenge. Things that are entirely made up are based on the director’s vision for it, so they’re a collaboration.”

Carsten reveals how the most recent John Lewis Christmas ad proved significantly trickier than Monty the Penguin, taking his team of 60 artists four months to complete. With six characters to create, this unprecedented animation challenge is the holy grail of CG…

'Critical praise, box office receipts, client satisfaction and trophies are happy rewards for that effort’, concludes The Telegraph. 'But there’s always new projects to work on and new technology to keep them focused…'